Great reasons for celebrating Landcare Week in the Upper Lachlan – Landcare Groups share in over $300,000 worth of funding.

Its Landcare week around Australia and the Upper Lachlan catchment has many reasons to celebrate firstly with our most distinguished Landcarer Eric Hurn up for an award at the State Landcare Conference in Newcastle this week and with a suite of successful funding applications (over $300,000 ) for our groups announced over the past few weeks. Landcare in the Upper Lachlan Catchment is alive and strong and shaping up for a busy 12 months.

The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative (or ‘GER’ for short) , one of the biggest habitat restoration projects in the world is working with Landcare groups in the Abercrombie catchment on a variety of projects to support the work of local people who are managing threats to the corridor in a project known as the Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link ( K2W ).

GER has provided $108,000 in funding through the Australian Government’s Biodiversity Fund for seven local Landcare groups to carry out planning and education activities. The successful groups include Taralga Landcare, Upper Lachlan Landcare, Tussock Tamers, Fullerton Hadley Landcare Group, Grabine Foggs Crossing Landcare group and Hovells Creek Landcare Group who have received grants totalling $108,000 to run events and activities over the coming year.

Gary Howling, conservation manager with the GER initiative said “The grants are about working with local people to help protect the natural values of the Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link”, said Mr Howling.
“Local farmers, Landcare groups, Aboriginal groups and the Lachlan CMA have already achieved an enormous amount to ensure the corridor is able to support wildlife and ensure a sustainable living for people in the landscape”.
“These grants will provide the Landcare groups with the extra bit of support they need to get on top of problems that affect production and corridor values in the Abercrombie catchment and help instil a sense of collaboration and build interest at the local level.” He said.

Activities relating to the GER K2W funding will be starting this month with Fullerton Hadley holding a Pest Animal Information day at Kempton Hall with GER partner Tablelands LHPA on 14th September and a bird monitoring day in October with local ornithologist Dr Tony Saunders.

Hovell’s Creek Landcare will also be hosting a workshop this month at Grabine looking at conservation issues within the Hovell’s creek catchment area with presentations from researchers working in the area.

The Tussock Tamers group has also received funding through GER to extend the Tussock Tamers program through the Abercrombie Catchment. There are plans for workshops and field days in the new year at Tuena, Crooked Corner, Taralga and Bigga.

“We are happy to get involved with this great project and help build on the work that has already begun with Tussock Tamers over the past years.” Mr Howling said.

Upper Lachlan Landcare will be running Landcare activities with schools in the Upper Lachlan in the coming months including tree planting and biodiversity awareness. There are plans to work with GER partner OZ Green to run a Youth Lead Program in 2014.

The GER K2W partnership will also be announcing grants for individual landowners later this month and Landowners who live in the Abercrombie Corridor are encouraged to complete an EOI available on the Upper Lachlan Landcare website .

Congratulations are also in order for the highly motivated Roslyn Landcare group who received a grant of $50,000 for a continuation of their revegetation and habitat enhancement work from Caring for Our Country. The Upper Lachlan Landcare network who also received a community Landcare grant from Caring for Our Country of $50,000 for a “healthy soils, healthy people, healthy communities” project which got underway on the weekend with the premier of the new film “symphony of the soil” at Breadalbane. There will be another film night at Roslyn later this month and an upcoming 4 day workshop with internationally renowned soil health expert, Graeme Sait in October.

Other successful funding has come from the NSW Environmental Trust with a further $100,000 for a continuation of the successful Willow Control Program along Kiamma Creek, Crookwell with the Lachlan CMA and Kiamma Creek Landcare group.